Apocynaceae Totally Explained

Everything about The Apocynaceae totally explained

The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants, that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.
Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs from temperate zones. Many of these plants have milky sap; and many species are poisonous if ingested. Some genera of Apocynaceae, such as Adenium however, have either clear and milky, latex sap, and others, such as Pachypodium, always have clear sap.

Taxonomy

The family, as currently recognized, includes some 1500 species divided in about 424 genera. The family Asclepiadaceae is now, according to AGP II included in the Apocynaceae (Endress & Bruyns, 2000).
There are five subfamilies:

The former two sub-families were part of the Apocynaceae sensu stricto, whilst the latter three sub-families used to belong to the Asclepiadaceae. The Apocynaceae is the result of a conflation of the two families.

Distribution

Species in this family are distributed mainly in tropical regions:

In the rain forests and swamps of India and Malaya: small to very tall evergreen trees, often with buttress roots, such as Alstonia and Dyera.

In northern Australia: small evergreen trees such as Alstonia, Alyxia, Cerbera and Ochrosia.

In deciduous forests of Africa and India: smaller trees such as Carissa, Wrightia and Holarrhena.

In tropical America, India, Myanmar and Malaya: evergreen trees and shrubs, such as Rauwolfia, Tabernaemontana and Acokanthera.

In Central America: Plumeria, or the frangipani, with its waxy white or pink flowers and a sweet scent.

In South America, Africa and Madagascar: many lianas such as Landolphia.

In the Mediterranean region: Nerium, with the well-known oleander or Be-still tree (Nerium oleander).

The only genera found in temperate Europe away from the Mediterranean are Vinca (Apocynoideae) and Vincetoxicum (Asclepiadoideae).

In North America: Apocynum, dogbane or Indian hemp, including Apocynum cannabinum, a traditional source of fiber.

In continental southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe) and Madagascar, except for the humid evergreen forest of the eastern side of Madagascar, and never above 2000 m for the entire island: Pachypodium.

Characteristics

The leaves are simple, usually opposite and decussate, or whorled; lacking stipules. Flowers are usually showy, radially symmetrical (actinomorphic), aggregated in cymose or racemose inflorescences (rarely fasciculate or solitary). They are perfect (bisexual), with a synsepalous, 5-lobed calyx. Inflorescences are terminal or axillary. The stamens are inserted on the inside of the corolla tube. The ovary is usually superior.
The fruit is a drupe, a berry, a capsule or a follicle.

Genera

Apocynoideae

Acokanthera	Adenium	Aganonerion	Aganosma
Alafia	Allamanda	Allomarkgrafia	Allowoodsonia
Alstonia	Alyxia	Amocalyx	Ambelania
Amsonia	Ancylobotrys	Anechites	Angadenia
Anodendron	Apocynum	Arduina	Artia
Asketanthera	Aspidosperma	Baissea	Beaumontia
Bousigonia	Cabucala	Callichilia	Calocrater
Cameraria	Carissa	Carpodinus	Carruthersia
Carvalhoa	Catharanthus	Cerbera	Cerberiopsis
Chamaeclitandra	Chilocarpus	Chonemorpha	Cleghornia
Clitandra	Condylocarpon	Couma	Craspidospermum
Crioceras	Cycladenia	Cyclocotyla	Cylindropsis
Delphyodon	Dewevrella	Dictyophleba	Dipladenia
Diplorhynchus	Dyera	Ecdysanthera	Echites
Elytropus	Epigynium	Eucorymbia	Farquharia
Fernaldia	Forsteronia	Funtumia	Galactophora
Geissospermum	Gonioma	Grisseea	Gymnema
Hancornia	Haplophyton	Himatanthus	Holarrhena
Hunteria	Hymenolophus	Ichnocarpus	Isonema
Ixodonerium	Kamettia	Kibatalia	Kopsia
Lacmellea	Landolphia	Laubertia	Laxoplumeria
Lepinia	Lepiniopsis	Leuconotis	Lochnera
Lyonsia	Macoubea	Macropharynx	Macrosiphonia
Malouetia	Mandevilla	Mascarenhasia	Melodinus
Mesechites	Micrechtites	Microplumeria	Molongum
Mortoniella	Motandra	Mucoa	Neobracea
Neocouma	Nerium	Nouettea	Ochrosia
Odontadenia	Oncinotis	Orthopichonia	Pachypodium
Pachouria	Papuechites	Parahancornia	Parameria
Parepigynum	Parsonsia	Peltastes	Pentalinon
Petchia	Picralima	Plectaneia	Pleiocarpa
Pleioceras	Plumeria	Pottsia	Prestonia
Pycnobotrya	Quiotania	Rauwolfia	Rhabdadenia
Rhazya	Rhigospira	Rhodocalyx	Rhyncodia
Saba	Schizozygia	Secondatia
Sindechites	Skytanthus	Spirolobium	Spongiosperma
Stemmadenia	Stephanostegia	Stephanostema	Stipecoma
Strempeliopsis	Strophanthus	Tabernaemontana	Tabernanthe
Temnadenia	Thenardia	Thevetia	Tintinnabularia
Trachelospermum	Urceola	Urnularia	Vahadenia
Vallariopsis	Vallaris	Vallesia	Vinca
Voacanga	Willughbeia	Woytkowskia	Wrightia
Xylinabaria	Xylinabariopsis

The following genera used to belong to the family Asclepiadaceae:

Araujia

Asclepias (subfamily Asclepiadoideae)

Caralluma

Ceropegia

Cionura

Cynanchum

Periploca (Subfamily Periplocoideae)

Vincetoxicum

Uses

Several plants of this family had economic uses in the past.
   The genera Carpodinus, Landolphia, Hancornia, Funtumia and Mascarenhasia were used as a commercial source of inferior rubber.
   The juice of Acokanthera species such as A. venenata and the milky juice of the Namibian Pachypodium has been used as venom for arrow tips by the Bushmen. Some sources (Rapananrivo et al. on p. 5) state that Pachypodium don't have a milky sap.
   Several genera are grown as ornamental plants, including Amsonia (bluestar), Nerium (oleander), Vinca (periwinkle), Carissa (Natal plum, an edible fruit), Allamanda (golden trumpet), Plumeria (frangipani), Thevetia (lucky nut), Mandevilla (Savannah flower). Rauvolfia cafra is the Quinine tree. Rauvolfia serpentina or Indian Snakeroot yields the alkaloids reserpine and rescinnamine.
   Some are sources of drugs, such as cardiac glycosides, affecting the heart function, including Acokanthera, Apocynum, Cerbera, Nerium, Thevetia and Strophantus.
   The genus Apocynum was used as a source of fiber by Native Americans.
   The edible flower of Fernaldia pandurata (common name: Loroco) is a popular part of El Salvadorian and Guatemalan cooking.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Apocynaceae'.

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